Elvis stored Graceland upstairs bed room ‘so darkish and freezing you can hold meat’ | Music | Entertainment | EUROtoday

When Elvis Presley first moved into Graceland in 1957, he instantly put in a privateness wall on the upstairs touchdown with one-way mirrors for safety.

The mansion had an open home coverage for his Memphis Mafia; nonetheless, the inside circle must be personally invited upstairs to his secure haven.

Up there within the mysterious house are the likes of his bed room, workplace and the lavatory the place he died on August 16, 1977.

To at the present time, Graceland archivist Angie Marchese meticulously preserves the house. She admits the mattress is made, and even a Styrofoam cup nonetheless sits on a bookshelf. She mentioned, “It’s like he just got up and left.”

Amid the mountains of books on faith and spirituality is a document participant which nonetheless has the final vinyl Elvis performed earlier than his dying at 42, a contemporary demo of JD Sumner and the Stamps. Two days after he died, they’d be singing at his funeral.

Aside from the few who’ve particular permission to go upstairs at Graceland, there are Memphis Mafia members nonetheless alive who spent hours with The King in his bed room.

One couple is Jo and Billy Smith, the latter being Elvis’ first cousin who knew him even earlier than he grew to become well-known.

During a Q&A on their son Danny’s YouTube channel, Memphis Mafia Kid, they had been requested if it was true that Elvis favored his bed room darkish and funky.

Danny, who grew up with The King at Graceland, replied: “Yes, Elvis liked it dark and he liked it very, very cold.”

In reality, it was so freezing that Memphis Mafia member Lamar Fike would joke that you can hold meat in there.

Not all his associates might deal with this when hanging out within the bed room, so The King would provide them sweaters and racquetball jackets to maintain others heat.

His cousin added: “When he was at the hospital, he put aluminium foil over the windows, to keep the light out, to keep it darker.”

Billy and Jo spent many nights on the mattress with Elvis and his Seventies girlfriend Linda Thompson.

There they might watch TV, inform tales and talk about spirituality and paranormal exercise like UFOs.

At the top of their time collectively, within the early hours of the morning they might all maintain arms and say: “Christ love, Christ life, Christ peace.”

To Elvis, this was a particular safety chant for his Memphis Mafia inside circle and himself.